Page 23 of A Little Puck Luck

However, before I could muster up the courage to say what was on my mind, Natalie said, “Okay, so Siobhan has a stalker. I know you walk Hallsy’s dog right next door, so I wanted to make sure this wasn’t your ex’s doing. Besides, I think you both need some girl time.”

Oh dear.

I didn’t even know he was out of jail. I just took it for granted he was locked up.

I hoped for all our sakes that it wasn’t Luke’s doing. But given the fact that he once tracked me down at the domestic shelter and then tracked Natalie down at a hockey rink, I could understand her concern.

“What happened?” I asked.

“There was a message left in spray paint on her house, along with a very unpleasant gift.”

Hearing that there was a message painted on her house, I was ninety percent sure it wasn’t Luke. He used to gripe about how graffiti artists should be locked up. Hell, he flipped his shit when I bought spray paint once for a craft project.

I shook my head. “No, I don’t think it was Luke, but once we get there, I’d be able to tell if it could be him.”

The drive was pretty quiet, minus Taylor Swift playing in the background. Eventually, Natalie said, “So, we haven’t talked lately. How’s life with the living sex machine?”

I giggled. That was such a weird way to describe Terry since I didn’t think he had been having much sex. Well, he did stay out some nights, but it seemed like he came back as a flirty drunk. It was the only time I thought he might have liked me, too.

I had to defend Terry. “He’s not like that.”

Natalie scoffed, “Bullshit. Don’t forget, I’m his personal assistant, and he has asked me to help him with his favorite extracurricular activity.”

“Well, I don’t see it…” Then I thought about the organizer on the top shelf of our pantry and added, “Much.”

She quickly picked up on the wordmuch. “Okay, what aren’t you saying?”

It was so embarrassing to admit it out loud. Well, Natalie didn’t have to know I wanted to go out with him. Instead, I just kept with the statement and said, “It’s nothing.”

As we pulled into the familiar gated community, I tensed up and looked out for Siobhan’s house to see what was written.

Finally, I saw it. In neon pink on the blue siding, it said, “A whore lives here,” and it seemed even worse on the white garage. Then, in slightly smaller writing, “Death to all whores.”

While the verbiage was in line with shit that came from Luke when he had roid rage, everything else was off. There was something about the writing that almost seemed feminine to my eyes.

“That’s not Luke. Not unless he got a girlfriend to do it.”

Natalie relaxed as she pulled into the driveway, but that was when the garage door opened. Natalie didn’t push one of those magic buttons to get the door to lift, so Siobhan either opened it for us on the inside or Natalie had a fob that activated the garage from a distance.

While I was getting used to being around those with some serious money, I was still blown away by the wealth around me and the fact that I was hanging out with one of my favorite soap opera stars like it was normal.

Once we parked, Natalie turned off the car but waited until the garage door was fully shut before opening the car door. Not wanting to stick out socially, I waited, too.

Natalie walked in like she knew the place. “Siobhan. We’re here.”

Siobhan was a beautiful actress, but she looked far too thin and so damn pale. No living person should be so colorless. Normally, she was full of color, and it was not just makeup that got her that way. So whatever the gift was in addition to the spray paint must have really gotten to her.

“Who was right?” Siobhan asked.

I was so lost by that comment, but Natalie pointed to herself and said, “I was. So we need to get you out of here. Have you decided whose place you’re moving to?”

I was just an accessory to this conversation, and it made me realize how little I truly knew both of them.

But after so many years of pushing friends away for my own safety as well as to make things easier, it was so hard to undo that conditioning. At least Natalie was one of those few people who included me.

“Your brother’s place,” Siobhan answered and then held up her hand before we could say anything. “I know it will be trickier since some paps will be all over me. But the idea of staying at your place with no Carter is too much. Besides, I feel safer with him than on my own. Thanks for helping me get away.”

Wait, what?

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